ISDF, what branch?

[Steeveeo]

I got bored in class today, so I started pondering. While playing World in Conflict, they have specifics on who's helping with what branch of the military (ie, Air Force helps out by bombing with their planes, Army does the ground-pounding, etc), but then I noticed, the ISDF, although following a similar chain of command, are never defined like that.

My question is thus: What branch of the military ARE the playable ISDF?

The hovertanks just scew the difference between Armored divisions and Airborne divisions to an unrecognizable blur.
The ISDF can actually command the bomber, rather than just call in some assistance from whatever is available.
Being dropped in from space on Carriers and Dropships would probably put them in the Navy or Marines category.

What are your opinions? Please no "they are a special space branch," or, "they are the entire military," kinds of stuff, I want serious thought in here.

[TopGun]

I think that they are a special branch. That only the finest men get selected for. And I think that they do not have any support. They are one branch. Like the Air Force or the Army.

[bigbadbogie]

*Braces for Steeveeos retaliation*

[Nielk1]

The ISDF are an entire military force. I can say this, definitely. Number one, they are international and thus not a sub party. They have internal divisions and squadrons, but the ISDF itself is not a branch. The ISDF is basically the AAN's army, and the AAN is made up of some of the UN nations. The ISDF and UN armies are separate armies.

Also, the name, International Space Defense Force. Space Force, that is the key. It is an army for space. We have the land army, the sea army, the air army, and now the space army. Be it noted that armored divisions are part of the land army, so such a distinction does not work.

Land, Sea, Air, and now Space. 4 militaries.

EDIT: Damn you one liners getting first replies while I am still typing.

[Steeveeo]

The only problem with that reasoning, N1, is that the ISDF (in stock play) never actually fight IN SPACE, its always on a planet, which has its own land, sea, and air. Sure they have space transportation, but that could be part of the Navy branch (if you think of space as a type of ocean, like most Sci-Fi), while they fight on the ground...or 2 feet off the ground in most cases.

So basically, when you think about it, their branch name doesn't really tell the truth, technically, about their use. The International Space Defense Force doesn't actually defend space, it defends their established bases on other planets from alien (Scion) attack. I also find it funny that the Defense Force is doing most of the invading in the game's campaign.

Also, just a correction in terms, you don't have multiple militaries (Firefox spellcheck even says the pluralized "military" is wrong), you have one military per faction with multiple branches.

One last thing, TopGun, if they really recruit "only the best," why are my scavvies so frikking retarded?

[Avatar]

Hey...  only the absolutely best of the best retarded Scav drivers make it into the ISDF... 

I think it's got to do with... well...  I won't say because it involves portals and TRO and such.  Just be sure that driving a BZ2 Scav is a LOT more hazardous than they let on...

Now, IMHO the NSDF/CCA/CRA were all SO small, since it was a clandestine war, that the tradition began for those forces to be autonomous and generalized.  They were the first, the pioneers, and nobody knew what they'd be running into.  They had to do it all, transport, scavenge, repair, construct, AND fight.  Think of them as a special branch of SeeBees, ("CB", or "Construction Battalion") that forge ahead and set up the bases that the more traditional forces might be using later on.

-Av-

[ScarleTomato]

he only problem with that reasoning, N1, is that the ISDF (in stock play) never actually fight IN SPACE, its always on a planet, which has its own land, sea, and air. Sure they have space transportation, but that could be part of the Navy branch (if you think of space as a type of ocean, like most Sci-Fi), while they fight on the ground...or 2 feet off the ground in most cases.

You cant really classify a branch by the vehicles it commands. ie. IIRC the Navy has its own planes.

[Steeveeo]

You cant really classify a branch by the vehicles it commands. ie. IIRC the Navy has its own planes.

BUT they are launched from naval vessels, and most of their planes are modified as such to do so, making them unique to the Navy.

[Axeminister]

A "branch" in my mind is either Army , Navy, Air force or Marines for America, and in Russia it, w,x,y, z etc. As a whole these elements make a military force for whoever they support. The ISDF is not a branch of any military, it is an International military force representing all the countries that have joined together. Too bad they all don't realize that General Braddock isn't defending Earth, but rather chasing the Furies/Scions.
And yes there is fighting in space, the beginning movie shows a space probe getting blown away, you go down in a dropship that is coming from space, so does Shabeyv and later the AAN Carrier is blown out of the sky.

[Nielk1]

Steeveeo, it isn't the forces, its the bases...

Space Force has bases and carriers in space.
Land Force has bases on land.
Sea Force has bases and carriers in sea.
Air Force would have bases in the air if it could, as such is uses land bases that launch directly to air.

All these forces have some crossover.

[Feared_1]

Navy, Army, Marines, Air Force, WHATEVER, only relate to some militaries. Other militaries have different factions. The International Space Defense Force is everything, not just America, Great Britain, etc.

It's a combined military, I believe. If anything, I think it's the ISDF that has the factions (don't ask me what they are, I'll have to think of some).

[technoid]

I concur, the ISDF is a wholly separate military force not related to any country, although its major affiliation is with the USA and the USSR.  NSDF, otoh, was "national" for USA. And I'm not sure but I think they went public and declassified as a military entity globally after their creation (from the secret ops and coverup missions of the NSDF, CCP) and the AAN.  As said, they protect and defend not only Earth, but the solar frontier of Old Sol.  It does not matter what armaments and vehicles they use and where and how.  And another difference from the traditional Earth-bound military forces is that the ISDF have interplanetary and intra/inter-galactic abilities.  They are meant to be an extraterrestrial force defending against extraterrestrials using whatever they need to use.  But Braddock created the ISDF solely to wage war, and as an excuse, to rid of the Scions as well as for world (or solar system) domination.  Because of Braddock, the ISDF did more of the attacking than defending, as Steveeo aforementioned, much like the saying goes about "The best defense".  The ISDF was also the initial foray of a big co-op military force above and beyond the Earth's atmosphere, so it wouldn't be surprising they would be a conglomeration of all military factions (Navy, Airforce, etc).  IMO, the primary reason we mostly see the ISDF as land-based is because that is the limitation of this game.  Anyway, assuming we go into the BZ2CP:FE time line though, the ISDF dissolves.  Military factions could always extend their abilities into space (beyond Earth and Moon orbit).  We see that a lot in other sci-fi stories of course.  

\ramble

[Nielk1]

The ISDF is secret until the events post BZ2 pre FE during the golden age of trade with the Scions.

[TwinShadow]

Hm, reading some of these topics, sounds like an interesting discussion.

My view is that the military itself is one big 'organization' with different branches, in the case of the US that was already mentioned. The ISDF, which is an international entity, is probably considered different as it's not really just a single nation's military unit. US and Russia (those are the only two of notable mention from what I hear in the BZ series) are two major nations of power that formed the ISDF.

Basically, I don't think the ISDF is a branch itself, or even has branches to begin with. I think it's just a faction of itself formed by several nations to protect against the Scion threat. But then, that eventually changed to the EDF according to the FE storyline to protect from the Hadean threat at the time.

Ugh, honestly, if this sounds like babble, I haven't played BZ2 fully in like a year and a half. =P

* TwinShadow yawns at the exhaustive years put into BZ2 in the first place.

Those were some good times indeed. May have to get back into it and re-learn what started it all. Though, now I need to play the first game, never did see that one.... *shuts up now*

[Zero Angel]

'Space Marines' would probably be most fitting since they are an amphibious (in space and on planet) space force. And yeah the Sabre tank would be the equivalent of light armoured cav. Whereas an assault tank would be the equivalent of a main battle tank (heavy cavalry). They take elements of all force types since the sole purpose of the ISDF is interplanetary exploration/colonization/mining/defence. You need elements of a navy to transport you, elements of airborne for mobility, and elements of army for dealing with any conflicts planetside. And since at the ISDF's early stage, its best to have them all integrated to some degree, I think.